The mission of this Department is to combine state-of-the-art molecular tools with ground-breaking statistical analyses and spatial and temporal modelling to greatly improve our understanding of how and why changes in presence and distribution of many species (including animals, plants and micro-organisms) occur, and to enable us to suggest future scenarios given various global change regimes. Such in silico simulations are vital to improving management practices that ensure the maintenance of genetic variation and community composition, as well as rendering native species more able to adapt to future environmental changes. We can aspire to such ambitious results because this Department consists of four multi-disciplinary research groups and one platform with proven experience and excellence in genetics, genomics, epidemiology, remote sensing, biologging and modelling. The opportunity to work in natural environments with altitudinal gradients (the Alps), the possession of long-term databases, and access to avant-garde technology means we are in a privileged position for carrying out such research in Europe. In fact, Trentino provides an excellent model system for generating innovative knowledge leading to new analytical, technological and management tools in this sector.

Head of the Department: Heidi Hauffe 

Administrative staff:  Maffei Stefano